Hearing systems, including earphones, headphones, head sets, hearing aids and other such devices, deliver sound to the ears of the user. These hearing systems may include certain filtering, amplifying, and other processing techniques applied to detected or received audio data for delivering through speakers as sound to the user's ears to enhance sound quality and filter unwanted background sound noise. Digital Signal Processing “DSP” is a known field including techniques for filtering and processing recorded signals and generating improved signals. Hearing systems are generally not personalized to user preferences in specific sound environments. Accordingly, the settings on hearing devices are generally optimized for the average listener based on hearing thresholds, and average sound environment and are not individually tailored or optimized to certain noise environments. Additionally, users cannot predict the sound levels in restaurants or bars they plan on frequenting. Also, clinicians generally only personalize the settings of a hearing device in their offices, requiring a user to make an appointment and travel to the office whenever a change in settings is desired.
One known hearing aid personalization system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,379,871 (Michael et al.), hereby incorporated by reference in the entirety, as: “A personalized hearing profile is generated for an ear-level device comprising a memory, microphone, speaker and processor. Communication is established between the ear-level device and a companion device, having a user interface. A frame of reference in the user interface is provided, where positions in the frame of reference are associated with sound profile data. A position on the frame of reference is determined in response to user interaction with the user interface, and certain sound profile data associated with the position. Certain data is transmitted to the ear level device. Sound can be generated through the speaker based upon the audio stream data to provide real-time feedback to the user. The determining and transmitting steps are repeated until detection of an end event.” (Abstract).
What is needed is methods and systems that are personalized to user preferences in specific sound environments. More specifically, the systems and methods need to be individually tailored or optimized to certain noise environments and need to be capable of predicting the sound levels in restaurants or bars that they frequent or plan on frequenting. Further, a system is needed that clinicians can personalize more efficiently without the users needing to make an appointment and travel to the office whenever a change in a setting is desired. Also needed is a mobile device for storing sound settings for an associated hearing device and a system for aggregation and processing of sound data relating to specific establishments.